How many atoms are present in a simple cubic (primitive cubic) unit cell?

• A. 2
• B. 4
• C. 1
• D. 8

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the structure of a simple cubic (primitive cubic) unit cell: it consists of atoms located only at the eight corners of a cube.
2. Recognize that each corner atom is shared equally among eight adjacent unit cells, so only \( \frac{1}{8} \) of each corner atom belongs to one unit cell.
3. Calculate the total number of atoms per unit cell by multiplying the number of corner atoms by the fraction belonging to one cell: \( 8 \times \frac{1}{8} \).
4. Simplify the expression to find the total number of atoms in the simple cubic unit cell.
5. Conclude that the simple cubic unit cell contains exactly 1 atom.